{"id":122296,"date":"2025-08-06T00:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T00:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122296\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T00:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T00:59:12","slug":"hiroshima-marks-80th-anniversary-of-atomic-bombing-in-japan-amid-growing-nuclear-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/122296\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiroshima marks 80th anniversary of atomic bombing in Japan amid growing nuclear threat"},"content":{"rendered":"

HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) \u2014 Hiroshima marked on Wednesday the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing<\/a> of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration<\/a> about growing support among global leaders for nuclear weapons possession for deterrence.<\/p>\n

With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them.<\/p>\n

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui warned against a growing acceptance to nuclear weapons for national security and military buildups amid Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine<\/a> and the Mideast conflicts, with the United States and Russia possessing most of the world\u2019s nuclear warheads. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A visitor lights incense sticks at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Japan. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

A visitor lights incense sticks at the Peace Memorial Park ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Japan. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\u201cThese developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history,\u201d he said. \u201cThey threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct.\u201d<\/p>\n

He urged younger generations to recognize that such \u201cmisguided policies\u201d could cause \u201cutterly inhumane\u201d consequences for their future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have much time left, while we face greater nuclear threat than ever,\u201d said Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organization<\/a> of survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its pursuit of nuclear abolishment. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Protesters<\/p>\n

Protesters sit outside the Atomic Bomb Dome ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Japan. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

Protesters sit outside the Atomic Bomb Dome ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Japan. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Protesters<\/p>\n

Protesters sit outside the Atomic Bomb Dome ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, August 6, 2025. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

Protesters sit outside the Atomic Bomb Dome ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, August 6, 2025. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

\u201cOur biggest challenge now is to change nuclear weapons states that give us cold shoulders even just a little,\u201d the organization said in its statement.<\/p>\n

The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki<\/a> killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan\u2019s nearly half-century of aggression in Asia.<\/p>\n

Representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, were expected to attend the ceremony. A minute of silence was held as the sound of a peace bell rang out at 8:15 a.m., the time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on the city.<\/p>\n

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba<\/a>, the city\u2019s mayor and other officials laid flowers at the cenotaph. Dozens of white doves, a symbol of peace, were released after the mayor\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n

Hours before the official ceremony, survivors and their families started paying tribute to the victims at the peace memorial park as the sun rose over Hiroshima. <\/p>\n

Kazuo Miyoshi, a 74-year-old retiree, came to pay tribute to his grandfather and two cousins who died in the bombing and prayed that the \u201cmistake\u201d will never be repeated \u2014 as the cenotaph inscription says. <\/p>\n

Nuclear threats have escalated so much recently, he said. \u201cI just hope the situation won\u2019t worsen\u201d a setback from the goal of abolishing nuclear weapons. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe do not need nuclear weapons,\u201d Miyoshi said.<\/p>\n

Wednesday\u2019s anniversary comes at a time when possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence is increasingly supported by the international community, including Japan. <\/p>\n

Some survivors said they were disappointed by President Donald Trump\u2019s recent remark justifying Washington\u2019s attack<\/a> on Iran in June by comparing it to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the mild response from the Japanese government.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous,\u201d said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation while he was still in his mother\u2019s womb. \u201cI don\u2019t think we can get rid of nuclear weapons as long as it was justified by the assailant.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Police<\/p>\n

Police officers watch outside the Atomic Bomb Dome ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Japan. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

Police officers watch outside the Atomic Bomb Dome ahead of the memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the WWII U.S. atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Wednesday, Aug. 6, 2025, in Japan. (AP Photo\/Louise Delmotte)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Japan\u2019s government has rejected the survivors\u2019 desperate request to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons<\/a> or attend its meeting as observers because it is under the protection of the U.S. nuclear umbrella.<\/p>\n

Matsui, the city\u2019s mayor, in his speech Wednesday urged Japan\u2019s government to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty to manifest the spirit of Hiroshima and address supplications of the survivors, or hibakusha. <\/p>\n

Past prime ministers have stressed Japan\u2019s status as the world\u2019s only country to have suffered nuclear attacks and have said Japan is determined to pursue peace, but survivors say it\u2019s a hollow promise.<\/p>\n

The Japanese government has only paid compensation to war veterans and their families, even though survivors have sought redress for civilian victims. They have also sought acknowledgment by the U.S. government of its responsibility for the civilian deaths. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HIROSHIMA, Japan (AP) \u2014 Hiroshima marked on Wednesday the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":122297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[13214,396,69,57,3464,170,17787,75766,75767,3097,50,375,3657,3645,370,103,107],"class_list":{"0":"post-122296","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-asia-pacific","9":"tag-bombings","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-general-news","12":"tag-international-agreements","13":"tag-japan","14":"tag-japan-government","15":"tag-kazumi-matsui","16":"tag-kazuo-miyoshi","17":"tag-middle-east","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-nuclear-weapons","20":"tag-russia-ukraine-war","21":"tag-shigeru-ishiba","22":"tag-united-states-government","23":"tag-world","24":"tag-world-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}